Bonjour,
I hope that you just and yours are nicely.
This week I discovered an odd factor.
Bread Man, who delivers the bread to our village and throughout the Seven Valleys the place I dwell in rural northern France, dropped off my baguette as traditional.
“The final week of the vacation season” he stated, “again to regular subsequent week, la rentrée.”
In case you’re questioning what that’s, the French identify the top of the vacation season and the restoration of day by day normality – faculty, work, and so forth as “the return”, “la rentrée.”
I invited Bread Man in for espresso and a chin wag, a British time period for a gossip or a chat, although I relatively like the concept we sit about wagging our chins like comfortable round-the-wrong-way canines!
Bread Man is a supply of fascinating info. He drops them into the conversations we’ve like Hansel and Gretel dropping navigation breadcrumbs!
“Previous man Fontaine has a brand new donkey up on the Chemin of the Misplaced Woman” he stated. “Horrible creature, it tried to chew me once I held my hand out. I didn’t name it a reputation although we don’t have a legislation in opposition to slandering a donkey right here. They do in Brittany you already know.”
He sipped his espresso and watched me with narrowed eyes excessive of the cup, ready for my response.
“What? Absolutely not, you’re pulling my leg, having me on.”
“Non” he grinned. “Within the city of Saint-Léger-des-Prés, it’s unlawful to insult a donkey, like calling them ‘jack-ass, or dumb-ass’, it’s not allowed” and he rocked with laughter making Tigger the Cat – who hates everybody, besides me and Bread Man – bounce from her lookout place on the windowsill.
In fact I needed to test and he’s proper. And what’s extra, if anybody is caught insulting a donkey on this little city, that individual should current the donkey with an apology within the kind a carrot or different donkey deal with. True story. Keep tuned for extra unbelievable Bread Man nuggets!
In a few weeks’ time, I’m off to Nancy in northeast France to discover town’s artwork nouveau charms, and particularly its gastronomic credentials. After which I’ll pop to Paris for an journey. I can be staying on the hostellerie of the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, whose phrases and circumstances are that it’s essential to spend a minimum of one hour within the Basilica between the hours of 11pm and 6am when it’s closed to the general public – a non secular expertise, a silent watch. And I’ll pop to a vogue present catwalk occasion! Include me on my journeys through Instagram – I’ll submit video and images as I’m going.
Lastly, after I discussed my upcoming week-long Excellent Paris Excursions subsequent yr, thanks a lot in your beautiful feedback. I’m wanting ahead to fulfill a few of you in Paris! You will discover particulars right here for the Spring tour and right here for the Fall tour.
Bon weekend from the center of nowhere France!
Bisous
Janine
Editor
Janine Marsh is Writer of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My 4 Seasons in France: A Yr of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Dwelling the Dream in Rural France all obtainable as book, print & audio, on Amazon all over the place & all good bookshops on-line. Her new ebook The best way to be French – a celebration of the French way of life and artwork de vivre, is out now – a take a look at the French lifestyle.
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